Driving home from a country park today the car bleeped up an engine fault and then temp sensor failure! As the temp gauge dropped to zero. A minute later the gauge started working again and the error went away but engine light stated on.

On testing when I got home, ecu scan is showing the stores error message. I also note with the engine off the message shows and the rad fan kicks on (presumably a built in feature).

Question is, where is the coolant temp sensor on a 1.2 stilo? I'll check the connections later when the engine has cooled down and I can be arsed looking!

Car has been great recently it's typical it develops a fault 4 days before its pressed into summer holiday use!

StiloBoy said:

Driving home from a country park today the car bleeped up an engine fault and then temp sensor failure! As the temp gauge dropped to zero. A minute later the gauge started working again and the error went away but engine light stated on.

On testing when I got home, ecu scan is showing the stores error message. I also note with the engine off the message shows and the rad fan kicks on (presumably a built in feature).

Question is, where is the coolant temp sensor on a 1.2 stilo? I'll check the connections later when the engine has cooled down and I can be arsed looking!

Car has been great recently it's typical it develops a fault 4 days before its pressed into summer holiday use!

Click to expand...

What were the fault codes that were stored?

The coolant temp sensor on the 1.2 is right behind the thermostat, it's a green sort of colour hard to miss

In ecu scan it said sensor failure. I need it fixed by Friday, so I'll clean connections in a minute and I've ordered a new sensor (only £15-ish new) so I've got time to change it.

I did miss the sensor, but after ordering and your description on where it was I am now no longer lost!

I've popped off the connector and given it a clean, worked for 5 mins and then gave the fault again. Resets after a few seconds and is fine then fails again.

Fiatecuscan says the code is p0115, water temp sensor signal low.

The fact it was 100% fine before today leads me to believe that after 10 years its failed.

Wasn't a loose connection then?

Nope not a loose connection. Drove to work today, all was fine for about half the journey. Gauge steadily rose to half and was fine for a time then the error returned!

That sounds like sensor failure to me? Anyone else confirm?

Has anyone replaced this part on the 1.2?

Looks a bit of a pig of a job, surrounded by pipe work and cables? How much coolant needs to be drained to do the job?

When the part arrives I might just opt to get my local garage to replace it if its going to be a mare!

StiloBoy said:

That sounds like sensor failure to me? Anyone else confirm?

Click to expand...

Or a loose connection, if the wire dislodges it will do the same, have you given it a push onto the sensor to see if its loose?

The sensor connector was tight, I have pulled it appart a couple of times to check if for crud and its clicking back togeather nice and firmly. Attempting to wiggle it when its reporting its failed doesn't make it work so its like its failing.

I've had similar in my old mini where the temp sensor in the block is fine until it ran at "normal operating" temperature for a while then it would get erratic or "fail" and come back to life later on or when engine cooled.

Sensor is ordered, just have to work out the best way to remove it. Hopefully its not fitted tight as the "bolt" head is plastic, I can just imagine its been heat cycled for 10 years and the plastic will be brittle as hell, so as soon as I put any spanner pressure on it, it may crumble.

I've had to drive around with this fault. Sensor works done until the engine has been up to temp for a wee while then it fails. Just for info!

New sensor arrives tomorrow and will be fitted tomorrow evening!

UPDATE

Now fixed, I fitted a new sensor last night and this resolved the issue. £15 well spent, although I did subsequently find that shopping around it could have been bought for £10, but I got quick delivery.

Removed the old sensor with a 17mm long reach socket. Unfortunately the new sensor was slightly redesigned, the old one was all plastic and the new one was a brass nut. So I had to fit the new one with a spanner, not a lot of spannering space so its not super tightly fitted. But after a run its definately holding coolant.

A week later and the sensor has been faultless! Such an easy little fix no one should be worried to try it! Plus my economy is right back up where I expected it! 44.8mpg after a 396 mile trip to the highlands and back with a full roof box, boot and back seat covered in essentials!